Discuss and research rain water harvesting technologies

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The Iganga District is located in eastern Uganda, just north of the equator at latitudes 1o 00' S-1o 06' N and longitudes 33o 57' E-33o 12' E. Mean annual rainfall is approximately 1 250 mm occurring on 100-130 days per annum and is mainly associated with the equatorial troughs in April-May and September-November.

The rapidly growing rural population has expanded the frontiers of agriculture into natural forest and wetland ecosystems. The District now experiences more frequent local droughts, faster drying up of water springs during the dry season

Women are responsible for sourcing water and they suffer greatly. We need to discuss and research water tanks, rain water harvesting etc:

Quote: "WaterAid is concerned primarily with the provision of clean drinking water; therefore the rainwater harvesting projects which it supports are mainly those where rain water is collected from roofs, and only to a lesser extent where it is collected from small ground, or rock, catchments."

They involve the local community in their projects and are especially paying attention to the role of women.

What about the bucket drip irrigation technique Ken talks about in the community awareness task?

This might be quick and cheap.

Jenny

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[body] => Hello Jenny
I have been confused by the whole issue of water and irrigation. If there's a wet season and a dry season; when the water is needed for irrigation in the dry season there would be no rainwater to collect. Is the rainwater collected only for personal use. Where would the irrigation water come from during the dry season. I saw so many references to the drip bucket system by Ken that I assumed it would be the technique used because it needs very little water.I suppose water must be brought in from somewhere. A local stream or something?
--
Rick Ellis
[teaser] => Hello Jenny
I have been confused by the whole issue of water and irrigation. If there's a wet season and a dry season; when the water is needed for irrigation in the dry season there would be no rainwater to collect. Is the rainwater collected only for personal use. Where would the irrigation water come from during the dry season. I saw so many references to the drip bucket system by Ken that I assumed it would be the technique used because it needs very little water.I suppose water must be brought in from somewhere. A local stream or something?
--
Rick Ellis
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Hello Jenny
I have been confused by the whole issue of water and irrigation. If there's a wet season and a dry season; when the water is needed for irrigation in the dry season there would be no rainwater to collect. Is the rainwater collected only for personal use. Where would the irrigation water come from during the dry season. I saw so many references to the drip bucket system by Ken that I assumed it would be the technique used because it needs very little water.I suppose water must be brought in from somewhere. A local stream or something?

--
Rick Ellis

Average:

0

67 reads

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[body] => Hi Rick,
you're right,that is true. I didn't think about this yet. The drip bucket system would only be usefull during the wet season it seems.
Ken, can you give some more information about this system and if it is usefull during both seasons? Or otherwise what alternative can be used for water harvesting or irrigation during dry season?
I found this organization on internet: Aqua for All in the Netherlands. They provide expertise on water issues and might be able to help us with a water harvesting solution.
http://www.aquaforall.nl/content.asp?page=4&st=4
Jenny
[teaser] => Hi Rick,
you're right,that is true. I didn't think about this yet. The drip bucket system would only be usefull during the wet season it seems.
Ken, can you give some more information about this system and if it is usefull during both seasons? Or otherwise what alternative can be used for water harvesting or irrigation during dry season?
I found this organization on internet: Aqua for All in the Netherlands. They provide expertise on water issues and might be able to help us with a water harvesting solution.
http://www.aquaforall.nl/content.asp?page=4&st=4
Jenny
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hello Rick and Jenny,
An advisor at Water Aid sent me the following information:
A PDF with comprehensive notes on rain water harvesting.
and mono pumps Australia
website link:- http://www.monopumps.com.au/en-au/node/241, who manufacture and supply solar powered pumps for agricultural use. Recently they were in the process of looking at marketing solar powered pumping installations across Africa and may have some prices for installations in Uganda.

Hello
There are still a lot of questions. Will the water be collected from the roofs? Are these buildings uphill or downhill from the growing beds? If there is no grade, can the collection jars be built on platforms so that water can flow by gravity to the beds?

--
Rick Ellis

Average:

0

92 reads

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[body] => During the rainy season, there is no use for irrigation unless there is a dry spell between rains. When there is insufficient rainfall, bucket drip systems can irrigate if the people are willing to carry 5 gallons of water to each dripline [100 feet long] each day. In actual practice, 10 gallons every other day. crops can be planted on both sides of the dripline and that would double the amount of water needed. I made a dripline in Nicaragua for US$3. Need a bucket [plastic, etc] 3 feet off the ground. I can mail you a dvd with photos, etc if someone will email a postal address. I want my info to go to the village to help farmers; not to an office somewhere.
GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
USA, México, Rep Dominicana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Haití,
Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, England, Nicaragua, India, Uzbekistan
Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent-bed, gardening, mini-farming, mini-ranching, with bucket drip irrigation, worldwide, in English & Español
Bucket Drip Irrigation
The bucket must be suspended at least l meter above the ground. A tube is connected to the dripline and the other end is placed in the bucket to siphon the water out. Assuming the bucket is 20 liters, fill it twice for each row of vegetables. The dripline can be moved to another row for irrigating. Each row of vegetables is irrigated every other day. Plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline and use 40 liters of water.
Bucket Kits
The key to the simple drip irrigation system that we use is the gravity fed "bucket kit". The bucket kit consists of four 8m lines [or two of 50 ft or one of 100’] of drip tape connected to a bucket suspended 1m above the vegetable bed. Water is poured into the bucket and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points. By filling the bucket twice a day, a small kitchen garden can be watered. Studies in Kenya have shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce enough vegetables to feed a family of seven during the dry season. These bucket kits are available in most countries (US$15), save water, save labor, and are easy to use. Go to Chapinlivingwaters.org.
Using sleeves
Farmers in Honduras invented a VERY cheap drip irrigation system. They buy the regular black poly hose. Then they punch holes in it where they want them with a nail or ice pick. A hot nail is best. Then take short sections [5 inches] of the same hose, cut it lengthwise to form a sleeve, and place a sleeve over each hole. This sleeve applies pressure to the hole, only letting a little water out, like a drip. This technology is quite cheap, VERY simple to do. Maintenance is also simple, because if a hole plugs up, you can often unplug it merely by taking the sleeve off and then replacing it.
Using screws
Farmers in Nicaragua are using cheap round tubing and wood screws. If drip tape is unavailable, this is a great alternative. We tried it with great success. The screw is inserted completely into the tubing at each planting location so that it protrudes through the opposite wall. It is then backed off to allow water to drip through that side. The flow is set by screwing it in or out as needed. This even allows for variations in pressure due to terrain.
Pin holes for drip
I am wondering if a dripline could be made by using a hot pin or very small hot nail, etc. to punch holes in the poly tubing. I mean really tiny holes.
DIY drip:
Roger Pigott [San Diego workshop] decided to use two bucket drip systems on a bed in the garden but he did not want to siphon the water. Kits from Echonet.org are $25 each. He went to the hardware store and purchased: 100' of ½" black poly tubing; a post to hang buckets on; a faucet rosette washer and nut; ¾" ring washers; ¾" swivel tubing adapter; union - ¾" pipe threads and garden hose threads. One for each bucket. He drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the buckets and installed the fittings. He then connected the tubing from the buckets to a header. He has five driplines connected to the header using tees and ells. He used wood screws for the drip outlets. There is about 60' of dripline. He planted seed in the five rows and laid the dripline over the seed. Very original thinking!
Buy enough hose to connect the drip line to the top of the bucket to siphon out the water. It takes about 1-2 hours for the bucket to empty. The dripline can be moved to another row of vegetables or plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline. Use more water. If one is willing to carry the water, one line will irrigate several rows during the day.
Plant green manure/cover crops to cut and leave on top of the soil to improve the soil. This is a MUST. Also, can be intercropped with the food crop.
Ken Hargesheimer
minifarms@gmail.com
[teaser] => During the rainy season, there is no use for irrigation unless there is a dry spell between rains. When there is insufficient rainfall, bucket drip systems can irrigate if the people are willing to carry 5 gallons of water to each dripline [100 feet long] each day. In actual practice, 10 gallons every other day. crops can be planted on both sides of the dripline and that would double the amount of water needed. I made a dripline in Nicaragua for US$3. Need a bucket [plastic, etc] 3 feet off the ground. I can mail you a dvd with photos, etc if someone will email a postal address.
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During the rainy season, there is no use for irrigation unless there is a dry spell between rains. When there is insufficient rainfall, bucket drip systems can irrigate if the people are willing to carry 5 gallons of water to each dripline [100 feet long] each day. In actual practice, 10 gallons every other day. crops can be planted on both sides of the dripline and that would double the amount of water needed. I made a dripline in Nicaragua for US$3. Need a bucket [plastic, etc] 3 feet off the ground. I can mail you a dvd with photos, etc if someone will email a postal address. I want my info to go to the village to help farmers; not to an office somewhere.

The bucket must be suspended at least l meter above the ground. A tube is connected to the dripline and the other end is placed in the bucket to siphon the water out. Assuming the bucket is 20 liters, fill it twice for each row of vegetables. The dripline can be moved to another row for irrigating. Each row of vegetables is irrigated every other day. Plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline and use 40 liters of water.

Bucket Kits
The key to the simple drip irrigation system that we use is the gravity fed "bucket kit". The bucket kit consists of four 8m lines [or two of 50 ft or one of 100’] of drip tape connected to a bucket suspended 1m above the vegetable bed. Water is poured into the bucket and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points. By filling the bucket twice a day, a small kitchen garden can be watered. Studies in Kenya have shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce enough vegetables to feed a family of seven during the dry season. These bucket kits are available in most countries (US$15), save water, save labor, and are easy to use. Go to Chapinlivingwaters.org.

Using sleeves
Farmers in Honduras invented a VERY cheap drip irrigation system. They buy the regular black poly hose. Then they punch holes in it where they want them with a nail or ice pick. A hot nail is best. Then take short sections [5 inches] of the same hose, cut it lengthwise to form a sleeve, and place a sleeve over each hole. This sleeve applies pressure to the hole, only letting a little water out, like a drip. This technology is quite cheap, VERY simple to do. Maintenance is also simple, because if a hole plugs up, you can often unplug it merely by taking the sleeve off and then replacing it.

Using screws
Farmers in Nicaragua are using cheap round tubing and wood screws. If drip tape is unavailable, this is a great alternative. We tried it with great success. The screw is inserted completely into the tubing at each planting location so that it protrudes through the opposite wall. It is then backed off to allow water to drip through that side. The flow is set by screwing it in or out as needed. This even allows for variations in pressure due to terrain.

Pin holes for drip
I am wondering if a dripline could be made by using a hot pin or very small hot nail, etc. to punch holes in the poly tubing. I mean really tiny holes.

DIY drip:
Roger Pigott [San Diego workshop] decided to use two bucket drip systems on a bed in the garden but he did not want to siphon the water. Kits from Echonet.org are $25 each. He went to the hardware store and purchased: 100' of ½" black poly tubing; a post to hang buckets on; a faucet rosette washer and nut; ¾" ring washers; ¾" swivel tubing adapter; union - ¾" pipe threads and garden hose threads. One for each bucket. He drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the buckets and installed the fittings. He then connected the tubing from the buckets to a header. He has five driplines connected to the header using tees and ells. He used wood screws for the drip outlets. There is about 60' of dripline. He planted seed in the five rows and laid the dripline over the seed. Very original thinking!

Buy enough hose to connect the drip line to the top of the bucket to siphon out the water. It takes about 1-2 hours for the bucket to empty. The dripline can be moved to another row of vegetables or plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline. Use more water. If one is willing to carry the water, one line will irrigate several rows during the day.

Plant green manure/cover crops to cut and leave on top of the soil to improve the soil. This is a MUST. Also, can be intercropped with the food crop.

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[body] => Thanks Ken. The drip irrigation system looks very straightforward and inexpensive.
I have never been to an African village. Where does the water come from during the dry season. Where have they been getting the water that they have been using up to now? Is there enough for irrigation or is it a problem of transport? Is the rainwater harvesting needed to get enough water for irrigation or could it be transported from the present water supply with some kind of vehicle? Are there any roads?
--
Rick Ellis
[teaser] => Thanks Ken. The drip irrigation system looks very straightforward and inexpensive.
I have never been to an African village. Where does the water come from during the dry season. Where have they been getting the water that they have been using up to now? Is there enough for irrigation or is it a problem of transport? Is the rainwater harvesting needed to get enough water for irrigation or could it be transported from the present water supply with some kind of vehicle? Are there any roads?
--
Rick Ellis
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Thanks Ken. The drip irrigation system looks very straightforward and inexpensive.
I have never been to an African village. Where does the water come from during the dry season. Where have they been getting the water that they have been using up to now? Is there enough for irrigation or is it a problem of transport? Is the rainwater harvesting needed to get enough water for irrigation or could it be transported from the present water supply with some kind of vehicle? Are there any roads?

I am not involved in water harvesting as I am too busy already. Water for bucket driplines must be bought to the garden from a well, stream, stored water, etc.s Each row of 100 feet of vegetables must have 10 gallons of water every other day. I have been in many villages but the village must answer your questions.

A dripline only requires 10 gallon of water every other day or 5 gallons per day average. The farmer has to get it from wherever it is available. It may be a lot of work but it is better than no fresh food.

Average:

0

112 reads

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[body] => Hi all
I am currently reading Brad Lancaster's book on rainwater harvesting. There are several ways to harvest rain water. These involve preparing earthworks for the water to collect and soak slowly into the ground. They involve preparing ridges of earth to collect the water, with a spill way on one side, the height will vary depending on the slope of the land. You will need to find the level of the land and make the ridges along the contour of the land. The ridges can be 30cm high to 20cm depending on the slop. If you look from the top of the ridge you can see how far the water will flood backward. These ridges and basins are scattered on the hills, with trees planted just above them, the overflow water is guided to flow into each ridge basin lower down. This is necessary to precent erosion.
It is easier to start at the top of the hill, since you are collect small volumes of water first.
However, the permaculture principle is to run these ridges of earth, called swales, open ditches on a level along the as possible on the property to a dam at the end. This allows the water to collect in the ditch and soak in slow, thus recharging the ground water and creates springs lower down. Trees are planted just below the ridges, since there is a water bubble in the earth down slope.
If the land is relatively flat, you can create spoon or infiltratin basins. The earth is removed to create basin, like a plate and a tree is planted in the middle. The run off will flow into these shallow basins and can be directed to other basins along the way.
In steep gullies you can place build rock terraces to hold back the water. Silt is trapped and forms a level area behind it in time. Trees and grass seeds can be thrown above the rock terrace. Water also flows slowly from the rocks to ensure longer flows.
It is eseential that we work to recharge the water table as wells reduce the water table over time.
Animals need to be carefully monitored to ensure they do not eat any new trees growing. Seeds from grasses should be harvested and spread before the rainy season to ensure they grow. Each villager should also plant 5 new trees each year, and any cut down must replaced.
[teaser] => Hi all
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I am currently reading Brad Lancaster's book on rainwater harvesting. There are several ways to harvest rain water. These involve preparing earthworks for the water to collect and soak slowly into the ground. They involve preparing ridges of earth to collect the water, with a spill way on one side, the height will vary depending on the slope of the land. You will need to find the level of the land and make the ridges along the contour of the land. The ridges can be 30cm high to 20cm depending on the slop. If you look from the top of the ridge you can see how far the water will flood backward. These ridges and basins are scattered on the hills, with trees planted just above them, the overflow water is guided to flow into each ridge basin lower down. This is necessary to precent erosion.

It is easier to start at the top of the hill, since you are collect small volumes of water first.

However, the permaculture principle is to run these ridges of earth, called swales, open ditches on a level along the as possible on the property to a dam at the end. This allows the water to collect in the ditch and soak in slow, thus recharging the ground water and creates springs lower down. Trees are planted just below the ridges, since there is a water bubble in the earth down slope.

If the land is relatively flat, you can create spoon or infiltratin basins. The earth is removed to create basin, like a plate and a tree is planted in the middle. The run off will flow into these shallow basins and can be directed to other basins along the way.

In steep gullies you can place build rock terraces to hold back the water. Silt is trapped and forms a level area behind it in time. Trees and grass seeds can be thrown above the rock terrace. Water also flows slowly from the rocks to ensure longer flows.

It is eseential that we work to recharge the water table as wells reduce the water table over time.

Animals need to be carefully monitored to ensure they do not eat any new trees growing. Seeds from grasses should be harvested and spread before the rainy season to ensure they grow. Each villager should also plant 5 new trees each year, and any cut down must replaced.

Hi Seila,
This sounds very interesting,especially since teaching the importance of tree planting is a mission of EFORDE. Do you have any photos/pictures of the process? And please join the village, so that new posts will appear in your 'My Nabuur' page.
looking forward to working with you,
Sinéad